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ADVENTURING IN PARADISE:
Add the South Pacific to your campaign world

page 2

By Tim Martin

Trade goods and diet

A primary motivation for exploration of the islands and continued contact with them might very well be in the area of commerce. The natives live off a rich and varied diet. Taro, yams, and gourds are staple food items grown by the Polynesians. Domesticated rats, dogs, and pigs are raised for food and trade. Foraged from the rain forest are roots, wild bird eggs, and wild berries. Polynesians are a hunting and fishing people, and often augment their diet with birds, lizards, feral pigs, insects, seals, and fish. The occasional beached whale can provide a bonanza, with one enough to feed an entire village, though the natives themselves are generally not whalers.

There is much for an interested outsider to acquire from the islands. Major trade items include pearls, pearl shells, exotic seashells, coral, and seal skins. In our world smoked trepang or beche-de-mer (a type of sea cucumber) was a major trade item, eagerly sought by Asian connoisseurs. Trepang might be a major trade item with the people of Kara-Tur if these islands are placed on Toril.

Sandalwood is a huge item for export. A fragrant wood, sandalwood is used for carvings and burned as incense. In demand in churches and temples, sandalwood is quite rare on the mainland. However, large, virgin stands of sandalwood exist in the islands, representing enormous potential wealth. On our world, there were actually several "sandalwood rushes," not unlike gold rushes, as each island group was discovered foreigners moved in (with native help) to harvest and bring to market as fast as possible the precious timber before it was depleted.

If the campaign setting these islands are placed in does not already have a source for spices, then the Polynesian islands are an ideal place for them. The tropical climate is ideal for the growth of spice producing plants, and even the culture; at one time in parts of the East Indies it was customary to plant a clove tree for each child that was born. Many today take for granted the abundant and cheap supply of spice found in market, but once spice was valuable and very rare. Expeditions were once launched for the sole or primary purpose of finding new routes to the spices, or new sources for them. If the islands are the source for such luxuries as nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, or cardamom, then the islands should experience a huge influx of people. Player characters might after an adventure not have chests of gold as their treasure, but sacks of cinnamon or mace!

As for what the native Polynesians would desire in return, the most popular items would be tools, utensils, and cloth. Metal fishhooks and nails are a big hit with the islanders, who otherwise have to use painstakingly hand-carved bone, wood, or obsidian ones. Virtually anything metal should be a success with the islanders, as they lack metal-working skills or in many cases metal to be worked in the first place. Curiously, many Polynesians were found to have a strange desire for salted pork, which weary ship crews gladly traded for fresh fish, fruits, and vegetables.

Character classes and kits:

Like people anywhere, the Polynesians have the same needs as most anybody else does; they need their crops taken care of, their injured and sick healed, monsters driven away, and somebody to defend them from hostile neighbors. As a consequence, the same basic classes can be found in this setting. The most common class by far would be that of warrior or fighter, with such kits as amazon, savage, or wilderness warrior quite appropriate. Priests are also to be found, similar to the amazon priestess or savage priest kits. They were generally called khauna and often their main interests were divination, curing disease, and returning the dead to life. Wizards also existed, and one was called a tohunga, who practiced in the art of makutu or magic.

More particular to the setting, I offer the following suggestions. The areoi is a religious order organized by the Polynesian deities Oro-Tetefa and Uru-Tetefa. Almost paladin-like in a way, these celibate warriors were recruited from the nobility and sought to do good among the island folk. The areoi are noted by their maro, or feather girdles, a sign of great prestige.

Owing to their maritime heritage, the fafaki-tahi will be encountered. The name literally meaning "feeler of the sea," the fafaki-tahi is a type of ranger, especially adept at ocean survival, and uses clues from the sea and from birds to track others, including across stretches of open water.

The oripo is a type of bard found in Polynesian society. Sage-like in nature, the oripo's main tasks, culturally speaking, was to remember and recite the genealogies of the captains and navigators who first settled their home island, and also of their descendents.

Religion:

Owing to the many different tribes settled on a multitude of islands, the number of gods in the Polynesian pantheon was huge, all out of proportion to the number of worshippers. There are literally hundreds of gods that could be included, but I list here several which could be further developed at a later time.

As close to nature as they were and their life so dominated by their marine environment, nature gods and goddesses figured heavily in Polynesian worship. Rangi was an important god, worshipped as god of the sky and the winds. Other weather and sky deities included Maui (the sun), Apu-Hau (storms and squalls), Ua (rain), and Rona (the moon). Pele is a well-known goddess, and is evil as she is associated with fire, volcanoes, and eruptions. There was no single nature deity but rather a group; Paikea, god of sea monsters; Moko, god of lizards and reptiles (and also magic), Tane-Mahutam, god of forests; Haumia Tiketike, god of uncultivated plants; Rongo, god of cultivated plants; Papa, god of the earth; and Tangaroa, god of the ocean and fish.

There were of course important deities involved with moral, cultural, and ethical matters. Atonga was a demigod, given divine status as the creator of the first canoe and of the first song. Oro-Tetefa and Uru-Tetefa were twin brothers, gods of good and of special importance to the areoi. Hine-Nui-Te-Po rivaled Pele as the most evil goddess or deity, as her venue was night, darkness, and death. Her rival/partner was Merau, goddess of the dead and the nether world (referred to as Reinga or Milu). Kuku Lau is goddess of illusion, mirages, and deception.

An important concept in Polynesian religion is that of mana. This is similar to Zakharan or Kara-Turan honor, though it is tied to concepts of divine favor as well. It is not an alignment issue, more of a somewhat intangible ' but important ' measure of skill, duty, courage, and honor to ones kin. Much like the emphasis on family found in Kara-Tur (and Asian society), the family and one's kin comes before just about anything else, and mana is partially a measure of this.

Native kingdoms

Each island chain is its own little world in many ways, with a history, culture, and politics at work. The fantasy island groups presented in this section serve to represent the cross section of what one might find in Polynesia, based on historical Samoa, Tahiti, Hawaii, Easter Island, and New Zealand.

Mauia: Mauia is an archipelago located far from any other land-mass. It has the most stratified of the island cultures, with three main social divisions; the ari'i (chiefs), ra'atira (lesser chiefs or landed gentry) and manahune (commoners). The ari'ir rule over the tribal and kin groups of the islands, and serve as both secular and religious rulers. The ra'atira appear to be the main landowners, and provide economic and administrative assistance to the ari'i. The manahune included commoners from farmers and fishermen down to servants, war captives, and sacrificial victims.

The islands of Mauia are divided into six or seven tribal coalitions, formed by conquest, marriage alliances, and diplomacy. There appears to be a shifting balance of power amongst them with no one ari'i able to dominate too many others. As a result, the politics of Mauia is often very fluid and dynamic.

One family of ari'i however, the Pomares, seem to be on their way of forming Mauia into a true kingdom. Their leader, known simply as Pomare, seems very friendly to foreigners, and has asked to engage in trade to obtain more modern weaponry and missionaries. He already calls himself the "King of Mauia," though it is unclear what effect this will have. On the one hand it would destroy the island's traditional political system, but on the other hand Mauia is now likely going to enter the sometimes vicious world of international trade and politics and it may need the strength unification could provide.

Pahulu: Pahulu is a large island group in the middle of the ocean. Pahulu is a unified state under the Kamehamehas, unlike Mauia, despite a very similar culture.

There are simpler social stratifications in Pahulu than in Mauia. There are a relatively small number of chiefs, ali'i, of various rank who rule over the bulk of the population, known as the maka'ainana. While Mauia is divided between various ari'i, Pahulu is one kingdom, divided into a series of chiefdoms each ruled by a high chief of a family dynasty. Each island chief has a kahuna nui or priest who advises on spiritual and ceremonial matters, and a kalaimoku, whose concern is with secular affairs. While in Mauia the overwhelming political reality may be that no leader may gain paramountcy, here no is able to conquer his leader, as the chiefs often rule with an iron hand.

As in Mauia though the leader must be a warrior king, as the Pahulus have a long tradition of continual struggle as the high chiefs sought to defend and extend their domains by diplomacy and military strength. The island chiefs and the Kahmehamehas are very aggresive, and they have made abortive attempts in the past to capture visiting foreign ships and personnel. Despite that though the Pahuluans express friendship and an interest in trade. With vast groves of sandalwood, a variety of exotic tropical fruits, seal skins, coral, pearls and pearl shells, as well as being a very attractive climate to settle, trade with Pahulu is very tempting. Upon hearing of Faerunish (or Oerth or Zakharan) culture, the Kahmehameha asked for settlers to set up shops, as he wants hotels, taverns, blacksmiths, general stores, drydocks, etc. He appears to want to be like these Western rulers he hears about, and with his trade resources, it is only a matter of time before somebody is likely to oblige him. The Kahmehameha seems poised to try to profit from the foreign "invasion," and may potentialy be a dangerous person to deal with.

Iutia: Iutia is a widely spread out island archipelago to the north of Pahulu. In contrast to Mauia, which is not united, and Pahulu, which has just recently become united, Iutia has always (so it seems to the natives) to have been a united kingdom. Even less socially stratified than Pahulu (though stratification certainly does exist), Iutia has always been ruled by the Tu'i Tonga, who claims absolute authority in all spiritual and secular matters. However, this seems to work well for the people of Iutia, as they have not known war for thousands of years. When foreigners arrived, the only weapons they found were a few bows and arrows for hunting birds. The warrior groups are largely for show, and the areoi is a social and civic club, almost completely without martial skills.

This seemed to be literally a paradise, and a number of visiting, weary after a long voyage, have sought to settle here, living off the land and becoming beachcombers. Desertion is a big problem in Iutia. Iutia, despite its autocratic government, comes closest to the ideal of a tropical paradise, innocent of the ways of the larger world.

Maoria: Maoria is one large island and several smaller islands to the southwest of the kingdoms discussed above. Much larger than any other "islands group," the terrain of this chain includes grasslands, dense forest, and snow-capped peaks.

Colder than Iuti, Pahulu, or any other island peoples domain, the Maorians wear heavier clothing and build sturdier structures. More than the other islands (by far) cloth seemed to be a big hit as a trade good. Also, they are less reliant on agriculture and more reliant on hunting, especially the large - sometimes dangerous - giant flightless birds call moa.

There appears to be virtually no social stratification in Maoria, except on a limited family basis. Maorians are able to move up and down the social ladder, in contrast with the majority of non-Western cultures that exist, as on Wa in Kara-Tur and on Mauia for example. Also, what stratification does exist appears merit based. The Maorians stress mana more than any other islander group, as each leader must have qualifications and justifications for leadership beyond familial ties and kinship. Further leveling the political playing field, the Maorians believe in the concept of utu, or vengeance; that one may seek justice (not necessarily violent) on any other member of society - ruler or not.

The Maoria live in fifty or more tribes or iwi, each having its own territory. Boundaries constantly changed due to migration and warfare.

Though Maoria has little of Pahulu's sandalwood, there are still large timber resources, and no island can surpass it in seal resources and potential nearby whaling grounds.

Tarawe: Tarawe is an island group to the east of the other kingdoms. The overall culture of these tropical isles seems similar to that found in Pahulu, Iutia, and Mauia, but here the islanders are at their most divided. In Pahulu chiefs rule over whole islands and in Mauia they rule over large sections of islands, but in the Tarawe islands each village is separate and distinct, able to act as it pleases. They are many dozens of independent villages, and as a result there is nothing approaching a dominant power.

Each village consists of a number of extended families, ruled by a matai or head. To further evidence Tarawe division, each matai cannot wield autocratic powers, but is a first among equals, with the result that inter-village politics are sometimes quite chaotic.

Exacerbating the situation at times are foreign merchants, as each village has a separate trading relationship, often at the expense of other villages. A skillful foreign trader can use the division inherent in Tarawe politics to his or her advantage.

Rapanui: Rapanui is an isolated island group, consisting one large island and one smaller one, located well to the south-southwest of most of the kingdoms listed above. These somewhat barren, windswept and fairly chilly islands are located in rough seas, and there are no natural harbors on either island. As a result, exploration has been difficult and trade has been greatly hampered.

The main features of this desolate island of relatively small population are the huge, ancient sculptures of heads and bodies, littering the hillsides. Staring solemnly out to sea, neither the natives nor foreigners have been able to figure out who built these strange stone statues or why.

The least advantaged of any islander group, the natives live off some meager agriculture, shore fishing, shellfish, seals, and eggs and birds gathered from the islands' large penguin, albatross, and gannet colonies.

Conclusion:

I did not seek in this article to exactly represent Polynesia as it existed in our world, but merely sought to provide a basis for an AD&D campaign. This setting is not intended to be run separately, but to be included in a larger setting, whether it be Oerth, Toril, the world of Al-Qadim, or a world of the DM's own creation. The adventuring opportunities are numerous; trade, exploration, diplomacy, treasure hunting, or killing powerful and strange monsters. I strongly encourage others to research this civilization and culture, if not for their campaign, than for their own sake. There is much that can be done with this setting, such as fleshing out the Polynesian pantheon, developing an Australia to add to Polynesia, and coming up with your own personal solution to the mystery of the statues of Easter Island.

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